


Home is where the Heart is

by Skyebo6



Series: Welcome to Wellington Wells [2]
Category: We Happy Few (Video Game)
Genre: Akward British, Dancing, Dystopian society, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Romance, Sarcastic Brit, Tea Parties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-28 12:30:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15707268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyebo6/pseuds/Skyebo6
Summary: Arthur returns home after his time with Ollie, ready to face his greatest challenge. Living in Wellington Wells.After a street encounter with a particularly violent downer, Arthur only attracts more attention towards himself.It turns out, this may not have been as bad as he initially thought...





	1. Home Sweet Home

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of my **We Happy Few (Didn’t Escape AU) Series.**

Home.

Arthur had alot to say about ‘home’.  
It was comfortable, cozy, warm and, importantly, something to call your own or share with people you love.

But Arthur lived alone, which means ‘home’ became a place to hide. A place he could stay without taking joy or, on the occasion he had to take some, could hide throughout the withdrawal.

Arthur loved his home.

It had been weeks since he had stepped through his front door, he hopes Sparky is ok.

He let out a sigh of relief when he approached his gecko’s tank, did you know geckos could survive up to 4 weeks without food? Arthur sure didn’t!

He grabbed a bag of mealworms and began feeding his pet, giving him a little mountain in the corner of the tank and whispering a soft “Sorry!” to the greedy lizard.

Arthur inspected his house, a slight layer of dust covered everything. He hadn’t realised how bare the place was.. he knows he wasn’t robbed, it just felt.. big. Nothing was askew or out of place.

In fact nobody had been here at ALL for the last 3 weeks. He supposes that’s a good thing. _Maybe Sparky enjoyed the peace and quiet?_

He decided to get some rest, to refresh himself and pray that Miss Byng would allow him to return to his job.  
He made his way to his bed, he missed a comfy mattress..

It didn’t take long after his head fell onto the pillow until he fell into the best sleep he would ever have.

He dreamt that night, of Ollie, him and Sally staring at the stars during one of their many sleepovers. He remembered the shapes Ollie had told them of and how he taught them to navigate using the stars. He remembered how happy and peaceful those days were.

He was rather rudely pulled from his dreams by his ‘Uncle Jack’ alarm clock with a morning broadcast.

He groaned, he didn’t want to get up at all.. but he has things to do, people to see yada yada..

Time to face Miss Byng.

=========================

He walked the way back to his house, Miss Byng had taken that rather well.. something about her always unsettled him, even before the piñata incident.  
He had made a plan of what to tell her, he had ‘been on holiday’ and came back to resume working...  
And she bout it!

 _Flaming hell, does Joy really make us that naive? ..or just too forgiving..._  
Would we forgive a murderer if he showed up and asked to get back to work because he was sorry..?  
Arthur paused his train of thoughts, his eyes falling, he crossed his arms sadly.

“Oh” He muttered, “I just described myself.. didn’t i?”

It’s not like he even wanted this! Apologising to corpses was never something Arthur ever thought he would do, let alone be the one who caused them to become corpses.

 _You did what you had to_  
He told himself 

_but did i really? After all that fuss the bloody bridge collapsed... im no further out of Wellington wells than i was 3 weeks ago..._

He must have been hiding his feelings rather terribly as he began to get strange looks and ‘Are you alright’s’ from the Wellies, he simply greeted them with a beaming smile and continued his way down the street.

“Stop it Arthur, keep your head clear... dont- not here..” he scolded himself. He kept to himself as he walked, offering the occasional comment on the weather to passerby’s who greeted him happily.

Then suddenly... the air shifted.. something felt off.

His instincts were right.

As if on cue, out from the alleyway stumbled a drunk man, at least Arthur assumed he was drunk... He looked.. wrong.

The man looked like he was having trouble staying upright, shouting curses and waving his arms frantically. He carried a broken bottle in his right hand... it looked like he was growing increasingly agitated. It was an odd sight, even the Wellies backed away in hesitation. Arthur scoffed, _if it was me, i’d have been beaten to a pulp!_

The man began hurling stones at pedestrians as an old lady screamed for help. She seemed to startle the man, who lurched towards her. Arthur ran to her, this man was clearly out for blood!

The man raised his bottle to stab him, Arthur easily held the hand back and began to struggle.  
The man, hardly able to comprehend the situation, shouted at Arthur and slurred “W‘ht the fuck d’ you th’nk you’re do’ng!”  
Arthur had slowly move backwards to prevent the man’s body weight from overcoming him, he was becoming increasingly harder to fight. Arthur’s smaler frame couldn’t handle it and he was eventually pushed to the ground.

_Oh god  
Im so dead_

It was then he heard it, a shout from the end of the small street he was on. “Oi! You, Stop right there!”

The voice was followed by the sound of running and before he could blink, the man was pulled off him and promptly hit accross the face with a batton. Arthur felt an odd relief upon seeing the bobby.. especially after that whole downer business.

He sat there, stunned for a moment, as the bobby lay in his last hit on the downer, crushing his skull and killing him.

_Brutal.._

The bobby was kind enough to help Arthur up and check him for injuries, Arthur was relieved to know he had none, his clothes however had gotten rather dirty. The crowd had cheered them on, earning Arthur a few pats on the back and a jolly good ‘well done’ from the bystanders. The old lady offered him a bottle of the newly flavoured ‘Coconut Joy’ of which Arthur accepted with a hesitant “you can never have too much joy” before the whole town was inviting him to tea parties.

_Way to lay low Arthur, you just became talk of the town..._

The bobby was the last who remained. There was something about him... the bobby took Arthur’s hand in his bloodstained one and spoke, “Are you alright sir? That was quite the scuffle you found yourself in”

Arthur grew nervous, trying to douse any suspicion, he squeaked “Y-yes Constable, im actually rather dandy!” Oh _shit_ that came out much weaker than he’d wanted.

The bobby looked him up and down and decided he didn’t quite believe that answer, but he chose not to press further. Instead, keeping hold of Arthur’s hand, the bobby led him out of the street. “Alright mister uh...” he trailed off, waiting for Arthur to fill in the blank.

After a moment Arthur stated, “Oh yes! Right.. im uh, Arthur, Arthur Hastings!”

The bobby’s smile grew at that, “Alright then Mr Hastings, let’s get you home!”

Arthur was not going to refuse help from a bobby, he was too scared they’d see it as a sign he wasn’t ‘happy’ with the help and pen him as a possible downer.

Which meant bad business.

And so he directed the bobby down the winding streets of the Parade. Finally the Constable turned to him and began a conversation. “Look at all them flowers out in full bloom, lovely things they are!” Of course Arthur couldn’t see them...to him they were leaves on the cobblestone that made up the city nevertheless he replied “Ah.. yes! Very pretty.. bright even!” He flashed a smile towards the Constable, whose features softened at that.

“By the way Mister Hastings, you can call me Constable Morland! Just incase you ever need us’ is all.”

Arthur offered a small “Nice to meet you, Constable Morland.” And they continued onwards.

=========================

It wasn’t too long after he found himself at his doorstep, one foot in the door, he realises he’s forgotten his manners. Spinning around, Arthur asks “Would... Would you like to come in for a quick spot of tea, Constable?” He began gesturing to his half opened door.

“Not at all Mr Hastings! I have a job to do after all!” He beamed at Arthur, handing him a bobby whistle. “You’ve earned this Mr Hastings, take it as a thank you for being such a good samaratin and whatnot.” The bobby began to turn away, before hesitating.

_Odd, never seen a bobby do that before._

Almost as soon as the thought finished, the bobby had turned to face him. He looked surprisingly rather.. timid...

“Oh and uh.. I do hope to see you around sometime, Mr Hastings! Well.. Cheerio!” He exclaimed, tilting his hat and walking down the street, heading in the direction they had come from.

Arthur hurriedly got inside his house, closing the door and leaning his back on it in relief. He slowly peaked out of the window in the direction of the bobby... who was no longer there. Arthur sighed and got ready for bed.

He did not notice the bobby taking one final glance at him from the street corner, before heading back on patrol.


	2. Back to Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur goes back to his old job.

Arthur woke up feeling... well, he didn’t really know what to feel.

His first thought that day was about just how _weird_ his encounter with Morland had been the day before, _Seriously_ he thought, _i’ve never seen a bobby... act like that before?_

_...is he off his joy too?_

_No Arthur, that’s crazy.._

He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind as he got dressed and ready for his first day back at work. He doubted he’d ever see that bobby again anyway..

That was until he opened his door to begin his long walk to the office.

Arthur’s heart began to race and he hesitated at the door, standing right in front of his door was none other than Constable Morland, facing the street with his back to Arthur, his hands on his hips as if he had been standing on patrol there..

Arthur couldn’t help but let out a small cry in fright, “Sh-shit!”, he gulped.

He mentally cursed himself as the sound seemed to have alerted the Bobby.

“Ah, Mister Hastings, Lovely day for it!” He offered Arthur his hand.  
“Lovely day for it!” Arthur squeaked, _what have you gotten yourself into now Arthur,_ he mentally cursed himself. Thank god his mask was hiding the shade of pink his cheeks currently held. He reluctantly let the bobby take his shaking hand to help him descend the stairs from his porch. The bobby then clasped his hands behind his back and began walking with Arthur on his way to work.

“I thought you could use a little company this morning is all... seeing as that bloke yesterday nearly frightened you half to death and whatnot. Water under the bridge now Mr Hastings, yes indeed!” The bobby explained as they walked. Arthur managed to keep a rather calm exterior throughout the whole ordeal even though he was on the brink of cardiac arrest, Arthur really had to give himself a pat on the back after this.

“Well that’s.. very thoughtful of you! Thank you constable..” he stated, his voice betraying him with nervous laughs laced with his words. The bobby seemed not to notice or care.

He and the bobby parted ways the street just to the left of Arthur’s office. A cheerful wave and a ‘Cheerio!’ Later, Arthur found himself at the entrance to the Redactor Offices. He had hoped never to see this door again  
_Back to work then, I suppose_

=========================

It was nearly time to clock out, he couldn’t believe how boring his old job had been...  
_I suppose I just never realised, i was too... drugged up on joy.._

“Arthur?” He heard his name being called through the door, accompanied by a light knock.

“C-come in!” He stammered, he didn’t want to admit it but he was having horrible flashbacks to his little ‘adventure’, just hearing Victoria’s voice put him a little on edge.

She appeared to be none the wiser to his uneasiness, as she opened the door with that same smile lacing her lips, sending a slight shiver down Arthur’s spine.

“Oh Arthur, you won’t believe what Lizzie just told me, Mrs Addington is going to throw the best tea party of the century tonight, they’re saying the entire town will be there! She wants you to be guest of honour for helping her out with that horrid downer business. Do tell me you’ll come?”

Arthur opened his mouth to speak..  
_What?_  
Oh god  
Oh fuck  
The whole town?

_Way to go Arthur you’ve ended your life, fucking- fuck!_

_How are you going to hide from this one?_

“I-“

“Oh and I nearly forgot to tell you, as one does, silly me! Constable Morland, that bobby you were with earlier? He and part of his squad will be attending too! He’s asked for you to meet him at your doorstep by 6pm sharp, don’t be late. You don’t want to miss it.” She stated, he thought of it as more of a warning somehow.  
He did not trust Victoria Byng one bit.

On the other hand... Constable Morland? Really?

_Why is he so fixated on me..._

_What if he’s suspicious, is that why he’s been spending time with me?_

_Maybe he thinks im funny, what if he’s been making fun of me this whole time and I haven’t even noticed.._

_What if he... likes me?_

_A bobby for a friend... that’s just.. something you don’t quite see everyday..._

Arthur’s thoughts shifted, “Wait, what am i even going to wear? I haven’t really been to a... party before..” he asked hesitantly, before looking up to find that Victoria had already left the room.

=========================

He took half an hour to get ready, he had taken soo long to find something to wear. _I can’t believe im doing this..._

He wore a white shirt and black tie, he had decided to wear his normal black trousers. Arthur didn’t have much in the way of formal wear... 

_Well.. You never were overly fond of parties.._

He straightened his tie and looked in the mirror.. 

_Oh right.._

_..The mask.._

He hated the smile it gave him, hardly anything felt genuine in Wellington Wells. But fashion is fashion, everyone always followed what Uncle Jack descibed as the latest trend. 

And if you didn’t fit in with the ever-rising standards?

You were a downer. 

No sooner than he’d put it on, there came a knock at the door. 

_Oh god,_

It was time. 


	3. Dance with Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and the Constable arrive at the party.

Arthur walked to his front door, he felt flushed already... he had a bad feeling about all of this. Sighing, he rested his head on the door, “Well, time to step into the unknown...”

He hesitated before opening the door, the bobby was stood outside, smiling that same damn smile. He wore some kind of Mess dress, decorated perfectly so that nobody could mistake the fact, that he was indeed, an officer of the law. His hat was also more decorated, however this time it was not situated on his head. He had it clasped under his left arm as he held it by his side.

“A very good evening to you, Mr Hastings!” He said as he gave a light bow of his head and peered up at Arthur. “Might I say you look fine tonight, very dashing indeed. But im afraid I must insist you wear a coat, it’s rather cold out!” 

_Typical, bobbies really had a knack for telling people what to do._ Arthur mused. _Though, I suppose he’s right... it is pretty chilly, isn’t it?_

He found a black blazer, plain and simple design. Yet it’s sleek black and simplicity made it quite the spectacle. You could practically hear the bobby’s thoughts as Arthur stepped outside, written clear on his face was a look of admiration. Arthur didn’t know what to think of this.

The bobby offered his arm, which Arthur accepted and both set off down the street towards Mrs Addington’s house.

=========================

 _The word,_ Arthur began, that Miss Byng should have used to describe Mrs Addington’s house, was definitely NOT the word house he discovered, finding himself on the pathway to a rather large estate. _She should have said Mansion... or palace.._

It was weird for Arthur, the building made him feel smaller. The garden was littered with wellies who cheered as they entered, he sunk in to himself slightly,

_Keep it together Arthur.. just smile, wave and don’t muck everything up!_

_Talk about a downer’s worst nightmare.._

He was led into a rather large room of the house, not quite big enough to be a ballroom, but perhaps a small venue or a music hall. Most of the Wellies seemed to be gathering here.

In each corner lay anjoy booth, likely set up there to ensure everyone gets their joy fix... after all there WAS tea involved which would combat the effects of joy..  
In the centre of the room lay a grand piano and, by the looks of it, a small orchestral band currently performing various Entr’actes from the Gilbert and Sullivan classics,

 _Mrs Addington certainly spare’s no expense.._ Arthur looked rather astonished.

He felt flattered that anyone would go through this much trouble for him..

Then again..

_..everything was an excuse for a tea party in Wellington Wells_

They stood, waiting at the entrance arch, where Mrs Addington immediately noticed them.  
Her face immediately lit up, “Oh there you are dearie! Do come in, come in! Enjoy the party, do have as much tea as you fancy, it’s the least I can do for you my little hero!” She exclaimed happily, “I simply must introduce you to everyone!”

She pulled Arthur from the bobby who wished her a simple but cheerful “Good day!” as he wandered off to the group of Bobbies that were standing in the far corner of the room. Mrs Addington left Arthur with a group of plump old ladies, “I’ll be back in June a minute dear” she said in her sing-song voice before hurrying down the hall towards the kitchens.

Arthur felt as though he’d been chatting for hours, everyone else was having fun but him, he had many emotions running through him at that moment.

He felt as if he didn’t belong in a crowd, frightened, confused, and most of all,

 _How terribly, utterly boring.._ he thought lamely. All that had been achieved during this party was listening to groups of old ladies speak about how ‘adorable’ he was and that they wish their children were as ‘chivalrous’ as Arthur.

The evening turned around at the introduction of finger sandwiches and the desert tray, littered with an array of raspberry muffins and french fancies. How long had it been since anyone in Wellington Wells had even seen a french fancy? He figures they’d been absent for as long as chocolate had.. and Arthur couldn’t even remember how THAT tasted...

..but... that meant there was food right? Mrs Addington had cakes, which meant fresh ingredients, which meant...

A food source?

_Oh you have got to be shitting me.._

His thoughts were disturbed as he was approached by Victoria Byng, no doubt she had sniffed out his apprehensive behaviour. 

“Ah, there you are Arthur, we’ve al been waiting for you! Mrs Addington has asked for you down at the Buffet table, you simply must come, straight away!” She was dragging him as she spoke.

The room became ecstatic at the introduction of a large cake, three-tiered topped with chocolate and vanilla fondant. On the front were the words, “Arthur Earnest Hastings, the Jolliest Fellow Around!” Writing in pink frosting, Arthur could feel his face burning and did everything in his willpower to prevent his hands from covering his face as the Wellies began a rather well rehearsed “For he’s a Jolly Good Fellow!”

He felt arms around his shoulders as people happily embraced him, Arthur was feeling spectacularly overwhelmed.

“T-thank you everyone. I-im simply... speechless! Honestly this is amazing, thank you!” He exclaimed with a smile as he was handed a knife to cut the cake as he posed with Mrs Addington, Constable Morland was also summoned to join the limelight as well as Victoria Byng for the newspapers and professional photographers.

 _Likely to be another day they forget now that you think about it..._ he thought solemnly, yet his face betrayed him.

 _For god sake Arthur, can’t you ever just... enjoy something without being a bloody pessimist!_ he scolded himself.

Cake was passed around and enjoyed, “Is that... chocolate... in the cake?” He asked Mrs Addington.

“Yes dearie! I do hope you’re fond of chocolate, rather a delicious treat you know!” She beamed at him.

Arthur tried the slice of cake and his eyes lit up, he remembered! He remembered what chocolate tasted like! Not that horrible fake taste you get from chocolate joy, but real, pure, fresh chocolate! His taste buds went wild as he audibly hummed in appreciation. “Mrs Addington, this is amazing! I hardly even remembered what chocolate tasted like!” He said, ecstatic.

“Im terribly glad you’re enjoying it, dearie! Help yourself to more if you like!” She said, and began to refill her place with finger sandwiches and the bite sized cakes.

It wasn’t long before the band joined the partygoers, paving the way for a different group of musicians to walk in..

“No-no bloody way, She got The Make Believes to play! Oh-oh my god..” he was seriously ecstatic, Wellington Wells favourite band were at a party.. dedicated to him.. PLAYING MUSIC for him! He practically squealed when they waked in the room!

He wasn’t alone in his reaction, cheering and excited talk erupted form the wllies around the room, evet he group of bobbies seemes to be overjoyed at their arrival.

The band began playing many of their classics, engaging with the crowd and making everyone get up and dance.

 _I was wrong.._ Arthur began, _This is a night everyone will remember!_

He watched the crowd from the side, tapping his feet and sipping from a small tea cup, which was suddenly, and rudely, removed from his hands.

“H-hey wha-!” He squeaked as Constable Morland appeared before him. 

“Care to dance, Mr Hastings” he said, taking both of Arthur’s hands and pulling him towards the dance floor. Arthur’s face turned bright red again, he would have been embarrassed but,

_Oh thank god,  
The mask!_

The bobby began dancing as a sway with him, Arthur began to panic, he never thought skipping dance classes would come back to haunt him, but he let the bobby take the lead and soon they were both dancing happily, and like everyone around them they looked as silly as anything!

Arthur forgot his self consciousness, he was aware that anyone fucked up on joy wouldn’t care what he looked like, just that he was happy and having fun.

He was having more than fun, he was having the time of his life!

He dared to glance at the bobby, who was staring at him, smiling sweetly at the smaller man. Arthur blushed, this time a small smile laced his lips. The tune changed to that of a slow one, and soon each wellie were holding close to their partners. Arthur allowed the bobby to lead him into a slow dance, nothing extravagant, a nice, slow and simple dance. 

_I can keep up with this!_ he thought, as he relaxed into the Constable’s arms. Everything was going absolutely terrific! Until...

Until he spotted something.

The corner of his eye, he saw it. _Oh god.. a doctor? Here?!_ he grew pale.

_Shit shit shit!_  
Keep your head on Arthur,  
Don’t draw any attention. 

He began noticing them everywhere, near the dance floor, at the buffet, by the joy booths. Arthur began to shake.  
Ever since his encounter at the Health centre, doctors scared the absolute fuck out of him.

He stumbled as they danced, growing fainter, “Are you Alright?” Rang the concerned voice of Constable Morland, he felt the voice pierce through his eardrums.. he couldn’t find the words to reply. 

Suddenly, he crashed into someone’s back.

“Oh god, s-sorr-“ he turned around to apologise, when he realises he had backed right into one, who smiled down at him darkly.

“Oh believe me, Sir, you will be..” he whispered to him, chuckling.

Arthur’s vision turned black as he felt himself fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve already planned out the plot of the next story! The relationship will be developed further after im done writing this one, this is more or less a beginning to their relationship.
> 
> (Please let me know if i have made an spelling or grammatical mistakes)


	4. At Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur wakes up.

Arthur’s practically darted upright, he didn’t realise how heavy he was breathing. He found that he was still laying on the dance floor.

_Wait what happened_

“..Mr Hastings?” A soft voice snapped him back to reality, he looked up to find that Constable Morland was by his side, his squad of Bobbies also gathered around to help give Arthur some space to breathe, all looking at him... strangely..

_When was the last time anyone had been CONCERNED in Wellington Wells?_

Similarly, the Wellies watched the commotion unfold, each of them about ready to offer another joy.

“Mr Hastings, are you alright...?” Arthur’s eyes focused on the Constable kneeling before him, He gave him a small nod.

Wait a minute...

_Doctors!_

His eyes frantically searched the room for signs of them, he saw none  
Arthur sighed in relief, allowing himself to relax.

“..How- how long was i...” he said rubbing the back of his head.

“Only a minute sir, you had a rather nasty fall there!” Morland exclaimed.  
“Yes indeed, lucky our man was there to catch you!” Chipped in another bobby, two grabbed Arthur’s arms and helped him to stand as Constable Morland reached into his pocket.

Morland handed Arthur a joy pill, “Best take another one Mr Hastings, I don’t want you to be feeling down all day... had me worried you know..” his voice mumbled quietly, as if to warn Arthur to take it, still the Constable smiled sweetly.

Arthur... trusted him, and reluctantly takes the joy from the Constable, swallowing it. And suddenly his world was brighter. He beamed at Morland who mirrored his smile.

One bobby patted Arthur on the back, another slung his arm over his shoulders, “It’s alright Mr Hastings, everyone has an Overdose now and again!” They chuckled, 

_So they think... I overdosed..?_ Arthur thought, relieved.

The bobbies laughter echoed throughout the room followed by many “Oh I know the feeling!”s and “Poor dearie!”s, one man saying “I don’t remember my first overdose... then again, who does!” The whole room was in hysterics. Not laughing at Arthur... but with each other. Arthur found himself cracking up too.

The rest of the party went without incident, just him and Morland dancing out the rest of the night. Arthur felt himself lighter on his feet. He didn’t see the bobbies give encouraging thumbs up and mouthing supporting words to Morland, who suddenly felt more at ease himself.

9pm, by now, guests were beginning to leave and Mrs Addington bid many cheerful goodbyes. The Bobbies began piling off into the street to begin nightly patrols, saying goodbye to Arthur, each with a tip of his hat. Until it was only Morland who remained.

Arthur had never felt so welcomed in his life.

Morland led Arthur to the front door, where they gave Mrs Addington a hug and earned small pecks on either sides of their faces.

“Do you want to stay for more tea, after all I feel i need to treat my two saviours!” She smiled.

_Wasn’t that what that entire party was for..?_

The Constable raised his hand in front of his chest, “Im afraid we cannnot, got to get Mr Hastings here home and back in bed before curfew! Wouldn’t want anyone giving him a thrashing like one of them bloody downers, now would we?!” He chuckles, Mrs Addington covers her mouth and laughs with him.

Arthur let out a fake laugh, _oh right, he’s a bobby... I hope he doesn’t realise the irony in his joke.._

“Oh do come visit again Dearies! You’re more than welcome at my door!”

“Thank you for this evening Mrs Addington, it was.. very kind of you!” Arthur smiled to her, the Constable shook her hand as they walked out the door.

Arthur allowed the Constable to take his hand as they began to walk towards home.

=======================

Arthur felt the Constable’s eyes on him, he turned his head to look up at him...

The Constable’s snapped to the front.

_Had he been.. staring.. at me..?_

_Oh god_

_What if he suspects i did something!_

Suddenly the Constable’s voice halted Arthur’s thoughts. “Lovely night... isn’t it Mr Hastings?”

Arthur nodded, “Yes Constable, not a drop of rain around... very nice... evening that is! Although, it’s getting rather.. cold..” the Constable glanced down at him, before removing his hand from Arthur’s.

 _Oh my god, please tell me I didn’t say something wrong... Idiot, Arthur you’re an absolute bloody idiot! Had to go and open your stupid mouth!_ His mind panicked, Arthur never showed this externally.

Suddenly, he felt arms around him, and a chin resting on his head. He lightly tilted his head up to find that the bobby was there, leaning down to reach Arthur’s level, hugging him.

Arthur found his mind had gone completely blank.  
They stayed like that for a few minutes, Arthur could feel the warmth flood back into him..

..whether that was from the hug he wasn’t sure..

The bobby removed himself, returning to Arthur’s side and setting for an arm around Arthur’s waist, holding his smaller frame close. Arthur wasn’t sure if this was still about keeping warm anymore.

“Is.. that any better, Mr Hastings..? The bobby asked somewhat timidly.

“Just perfect.. thank you, Constable.” Arthur felt a different kind of smile tugging at his lips.

At Arthur’s doorstep, the bobby bid him that all too familiar farewell, tip of the hat and a cheerio. Arthur found himself hugging the bobby.

“I really- I really did enjoy my night... Constable! We have to do this again!” Arthur felt the words slip from his mouth, as he began pulling away.

Suddenly the hug was returned, a firm hold. He felt almost.. secure in the grasp.

“Indeed we do, Mr Hastings... indeed we do..” he replied fondly.

And like that, the bobby was set off down the street.

He didn’t hear the loud thumping of Arthur’s heart, nor see the redness of his face leak onto his mask.

Then again, Arthur didn’t feel the soft fluttering that erupted in the Bobby’s heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the wonderful comments guys! It’s you guys that keep me writing. Last chapter should be released today, then I’ll begin work on my next story featuring Morland and Arthur, following the doctors storyline!
> 
>  
> 
> PS: If anyone got my Gilbert and Sullivan reference in the last chapter, you get a cookie!


	5. Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Constable Morland has a surprise for Arthur.

Morning, beautiful and bright as always, rainbows glistening in the sky and many a joyful citizen to have a chat with.

On this particular morning, Constable Morland danced his way down the street, cheerfully greeting the people he swore to protect and happily waving to the other bobbies, knowing that when lunch rolls around he’ll be in the station with them, having a jolly good drink and singing with the rest of his squad.

Each bobby squad had different schedules for when they were set to go on patrol. Marland and his squad had a schedule between the hours of 9am to 1pm, during the day, and 8pm to 3am during the evening. Patrolling the upper quarters of the Parade district, with the exception of a good party...

 _Or chasing your true love_ he thought dreamily.

It’s true, he’d seen Arthur around the Parade District before and immediately thought the smaller man was adorable, dorky, akward yet the sort of chap who could win at a game of wits over fists so to speak. Something about him intrigued the Constable, and the night that the downer attacked...

Well he knew it was his time to shine!

Saving Arthur, he made his introduction, and the rest was set in stone! Any bobby at the station would be able to recite to you the Biography of Arthur Earnest Hastings, consisting of 3 key points. Arthur worked as a redactor, Arthur enjoyed reading and was quite fond of classical music as well as the flavour ‘Chocolate’ unless it was chocolate joy, and finally, Arthur’s name, it seems, would never leave Constable Morland’s lips.

Such a situation would be annoying to most people if their beat friends wouldn’t shut up about something, but in this case, the bobbies found it pleasant, this Arthur fellow had taken their squad by storm, everyone felt rather fond of the man despite the lack of introduction. They’d find that they would nod to him in the streets, one member of the squad always had eyes on him when he was out and about to make sure he wasn’t the victim of yet another downer attack, Arthur being none the wiser of it all. The town began to talk, It’s not often that bobbies bond with the people on the streets, they get rather intimidated by the large frames of the men and their right to carry weapons. But on the rare occasion that love can blossom between them, it becomes the talk of the town. 

And after that night of dancing, Morland and Arthur found themselves subjects of town speculation and gossip, seemed the whole town was whispering about this latest scandal.

Not that Morland was aware of it all anyway.

He quickly rounded a street corner, reaching the door to a flourist. He knocked gently before entering, after all, he didn’t want the poor store owner to have the fright of his life seeing a bobby come through the door unannounced. This was a silent code, whenever a bobby entered a shop to purchase, a small knock was to be made before entering, otherwise the store owner might feel as if they were being searched or an arrest is about to be made. A knock was a friendly gesture, it put the people at ease.

The Constable entered, a sweet aroma filled the air, as if he stood before a field of fresh flowers and.. liquorice! His smile widened.

“Lovely Morning, isn’t it Mrs Falker!” He chirped, walking to the younger ladie’s counter. He was by the sink in the back of the shop, cutting the stems of a fresh batch of petunias.

“Oh dear! Constable sorry I didn’t hear you come in!” She skipped to the counter, “here to pick up that order?” She smiled to him.  
“Right on, Mrs Falker,got a good evening planned for them!”

She passed him the bouquet of roses, he paid her and sniffed the flowers. His world became brighter.

Deborah Falker’s husband was a doctor, he had created the perfect serum. When injected into flowers, they would give off not only a richer scent, but they would produce joy gas too! As her sign says, “Making your home a happier place!”, an absolutely must-buy for every social gathering or romantic occasion.

No wonder she was the best flourist around.

“So,” she began, “who is the lucky lady Constable!” She giggled,  
Morland smiled at her proclaiming, “He is really something alright!”

=========================

Saturdays, Arthur decides, are the best days of the week. No work, no responsibilities, and almost definitely no social obligations.

He sat in his quiet room, pen to paper begging his letter.

_‘Dear Ollie,_

_My first week back has been rather eventful, i’d be lying to say im not terrified.._

_But i’d be lying to say im not somewhat happy either!_

_I thought that I’d return to The Parade as a villan, or that i’d be hated.. I ended up a bloody hero!_

_In fact the whole town threw me a bloody party!_

_I have made some friends im proud to say, a lovely old lady named Mrs Addington, and a few new co-workers...  
I know that half of these people wouldn’t even blink in my direction if they were off their joy, but everyone is just so.. kind here!_

_I can’t believe im only finding this out!_

_I did meet someone else though.. a bobby._

_I don’t know what to say really, there’s something about him that-‘_

His thoughts were disturbed by a knock at the door, he scrambled to hide the piece of paper before heading downstairs to answer it.

There he stood, a very cheerful Constable Morland, hands clasped behind his back and smiling. Arthur didn’t notice the small crowd that began to gather, cooing and practically jumping for joy at whatever was behind the constable’s back. Even a few bobbies joined them in watching.

“Good, er... Good morning Mr Hastings!” The bobby had briefly lost his composure, but quickly regained it. Arthur could feel the butterflies in his stomach rise.

“H-hello” Arthur’s voice came out as more of a yelp, he could tell the Constable had business with him...

He just wasn’t sure what type.

The Constable had a queasy feeling, nervous and beginning to let beads of sweat drip from his brow, he quickly looked down at his feet before he lost all composure and embarrassed himself.

He quickly got on one knee and held up the flowers to Arthur, the scent blowing in his face and his world lighting up before his eyes. Glee filling him to the brim.

“I want you- I want you to have these, Mr Hastings...

Being around you these last few days, it’s.. it’s been a pleasure! It really has, I can’t think of any other way to tell you how fond of you I’ve become!”

Arthur was smiling madly, a kid on Christmas morning... if either of those existed anymore anyway. Pink rising in his cheeks he suddenly felt lost for words and his face changed to that of surprise, his mouth hanging open desperately searching for words. He took the roses and held them close to his chest, as the Constable rose from his position, now starting directly into Arthur’s eyes.

Then he felt it, the eyes staring at him, the ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s from the smitten crowd. He suddenly became very self concious.

Straightening up, Arthur moved his smaller frame to make room in the door way, he cleared his throat.

“C-care to come in? F-for... for tea?” He smiled slightly.

How could the bobby refuse?

=========================

These visits continued every Saturday and Sunday, flowers making their way to Arthur’s doorstep, followed by an ecstatic bobby and happy onlookers catching glimpses at their exchanges, they always made sure to walk by Arthur’s house at certain times of the day, it made for good gossip!

Sometimes the flowers would make it to Arthur’s office, followed by chocolates. _How was he getting these?_ Arthur puzzled, but his heart kept leaping with each new gift.

They walked to Arthur’s home together every evening, Arthur taught himself to cook in anticipation of their nightly dinners.

He found himself with many interesting subjects and topics to write in his letters to Ollie, detailing his week to the man. Each Saturday night he would head to the hatch and leave a note on the access door, just as he had promised Ollie.

Arthur was happy, Constable Morland had truly set him at ease, and his life was much better for it.

He wasn’t so alone after all!

=========================

Arthur had indeed finished his letter to Ollie on that day,

_‘I don’t know what to say really, there’s something about him that I like._

_It might be his charming voice or how spectacularly silly he acts when he’s nervous.._

_But he’s simply a joy to be around! I never want to let go of his company, I just don’t know why i feel this way.._

_Anyway, I know I’ve been rambling, please do come visit sometime Ollie, you’re welcome at my door anyday!_

_Yours truly,  
\- AEH’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I can’t wait to get started on the next story, featuring doctors and evil people. Thank you all so much for sticking by the story, i do hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> This fic won’t contain slash (I probably couldn’t write it well as i am Asexual)
> 
> Just letting you know :)


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